Feline
by TheologyDiscography
Summary: Everyone inherits qualities and gifts. Some are just more obvious that others. Like when one of our favorite characters has the sudden overwhelming urge to curl up in his best enemy's lap and purr.
1. Chapter 1

As usual, I still do not own the HPverse. You all know who does.

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Yes, this is very short, but there will be plenty more coming soon. It just felt right to end it there.

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_A hot mouth trailed kisses down his throat, not in an act of devotion, but of possession, the lips pressing fiercely into his skin, leaving both kisses and tiny nips in equal measure, and he moaned in delight. Nothing existed for him besides those skillful lips that were wreaking havoc on his body._

_"Mine," the owner of those lips growled fiercely. _

_"Yours," he assured breathlessly, not sure of who it was, or even the gender of the person in question, but completely sure that he belonged to whomever it was, completely and totally. A deep, slow kiss pressed gently into his lips was his reward for his automatic reassurance. He wrapped his fingers into the messy black tangles that wouldn't straighten, no matter how much effort was put into it as his lips were ravaged, then the head pulled away, kissing back down his neck, sucking gently on the ridge created by his collarbone. The lips trailed teasingly downward, spending long minutes playing with his navel before continuing, hovering tantalizingly over his stiff flesh before-_

He woke with a start as the dawn light crept in through the poorly closed curtains straight into his eyes. 'Damn, I hate waking up at dawn. And I was just getting to the good part, too.' He had been having these dreams about the mysterious person making love to him all summer, and since he was bi, he didn't even have that to narrow their identity. All he had to go on was black hair and bright eyes. It was rather frustrating, but he had long ago ceased worrying about it. He sighed, and leaned over to touch the panel that alerted the house-elves that he required something.

"Can Listy be getting you's anything, Master Draco, sir?"

"You can get me breakfast. And see to it that whomever forgot to close the curtains last night is chastised."

"Of course, Master Draco, sir. Listy is so sorry you's was wakened, Master Draco, sir. Listy will sees to it immediately." And the elf popped out again.


	2. Chapter 2

See first page for disclamers. i see no reasone to type them out again.

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again, sorry it's short. i think it's longer than the first one was though. obviously, it's from harry's point of view this time. i switch POV fairly often, hope i don't loose anybody, though i think it's fairly obvious who's POV i'm using at any given point in time.

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_He knelt over the beautiful blond, pinning his hands to either side, but he didn't think he noticed anything but the kisses and nips he was attacking with. He'd prove to the stubborn blond that he was his, would _make_ him admit it this time! _

_"Mine!" he growled after a couple minutes, watching the blond practically melt into the sheets. _

_"Yours!" was the breathless reply, and he grinned triumphantly, then kissed him, slow and deep and lingering, to reward the blond for his acquiescence. It wasn"t like he was going to treat him bad or anything, just because he owned him. If anything, he"d be more loving now . . .. His mate deserved no less from him . . ._

He snapped awake. 'His mate?' He turned the words over in his mind for a moment, shocked, then mentally shrugged and pushed the problem away for another time, rolling over to attempt to get some more sleep. Maybe hed return to that most appealing dream . . ..

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Harry curled sleepily on his bed, totally unaware of the purr rumbling deep in his throat. He stretched languidly as he sat up, glancing at the clock on the rickety stand beside his bed (salvaged after Dudley had rolled off his bed and fallen on it; luckily, only minor damage had been done to either table or boy, so it didn't get blamed on Harry for once, but Dudley refused to use the mended table, so it had gone into Harry's room, along with everything else Dudley had broken or discarded over the years.)

7:30.

That meant he had half an hour to make breakfast before his relatives woke up to bother him. He hurried quietly down the stairs and set to his first chore of the day -cooking for his horrid hosts. Within 25 minutes, he was putting the finishing touches on four heaping plates, and he scurried to get his up to his room before they woke, returning to set out flatware and cups of juice and coffee (all three of them insisted on having both beverages at breakfast, though Harry was only allowed juice) and drinking a cup of coffee himself before they came down, washing and putting away the cup as soon as he'd finished it. If was fun to spite his family like that, but he didn't want a beating for it.

Dudley thundered down the stairs, still in his pajamas, followed quickly by his parents. Uncle Vernon took in the spread on the table, and dismissed Harry with a nod as he sat down, the only thanks he'd ever get from his uncle. He escaped to his room -and his breakfast- with a glass of orange juice and a relieved sigh. Only three more weeks -two of which he would _not_ have to spend here- until he returned to Hogwarts for his final year of school, and then he was free -other than the whole have-to-kill-Voldie thing.

Putting his empty dishes on the bedside table, he curled kittenishly on his bed, basking in the small patch of sunlight streaming in through the barred window, heating his back.


	3. Chapter 3

okey, still not mine. Is J.K.'s.

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this should be the last short chapter. the first chapters were mostly set up, but with the next chapter, it'll start moving. thank you all for your patience. This chapter is mostly an information dimp, and i'm sorry about that. but it had to be explained, and i rather like the narcissa embarrassing her son scenes. shrugs

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well, enjoy.

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"Master Draco, sir, you's mother is wanting to speak with yous as soon as possible, Master Draco sir." The elf wrung it's hands nervously, waiting for his response.

"Tell her I shall attend upon her soon." The elf nodded quickly, and vanished before he could say another word.

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"Ah, Draco, darling." Narcissa Malfoy stood gracefully, holding his hands out to her son, who obediently grasped them, placing a kiss on the back of each hand before embracing her.

"Mother."

"I know there are many other things that you would rather be doing at this time of day besides talking to your mother -however beloved she may be-" she interrupted herself before he could, "but I'm afraid it's terribly important, darling." Draco nodded patiently; she would get around to whatever she wanted to talk about in her own time, not his. "You know that because of our heritage, dreams are very important?" He nodded again, having intensely studied his Dreamwalker heritage as soon as he found out about it. "Well, you have reached an age where you will likely start dreaming about your life mate." Life mate. What a way to tell him that she knew he wasn't exclusively into girls. "Have you been having dreams of this sort?" He looked up at her, startled, then nodded reluctantly. She squealed girlishly, and hugged him. Then, collecting her composure, "We must talk about this." Correctly interpreting Draco's look of horror, she giggled. "No, I do not want you to describe them to me!" He sighed in relief. "But I do have a few questions that I must have answers to if I am to aid you in your search, as any good mother should." He nodded reluctantly, rolling his eyes at the same time, knowing she would give him no peace until her curiosity was satisfied. "Was it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. She looked rather surprised. "I've never gotten far enough in the dreams for the difference to be apparent, something always wakes me up." She nodded her acceptance of this.

"Were you the dominant or submissive party?" Draco blushed crimson at this question. Though he had a sneaking suspicion his mother already knew: if he were dominant, the gender differences would be almost immediately obvious . . .

"I don't see how that's important . . ." he trailed off at the look his mother gave him.

"Submissive," he whispered, ashamed that he wasn't on top and in control as befitted a Malfoy. To his surprise, his mother was smiling tearily.

"So you've found someone you can let your guard down around, oh, I'm so happy, my dragon." The use of his childhood nickname startled him; she hadn't called him that since he started Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry sauntered down Diagon Alley with a feline grace he'd acquired sometime after his birthday, his mind more on his most recent dream about his mate than his surroundings. He had a feeling he knew who the blond was, but he couldn't identify him. It was irritating the hell out of him, I mean, how many beautiful blond boys did he know? The only one that came to mind was Malfoy, but he knew there was no way Malfoy would submit to him like that, even if they did have a relationship, which was impossible in itself.

He stumbled into someone, who was obviously as dream-befuddled as he was, and as the warm body pressed up against him, he felt such a sense of _rightness_ that he instinctively pulled him back when he half-heartedly pulled away. The other boy rested against him with a moan, his head neatly fitting just under Harry's chin, and Harry's rumbling purr was heard but not noticed as the two boys clung to each other.

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When Draco had run into him, he hadn't known who it was, his hair had grown longer, falling into his eyes, and his face had changed, not a lot, but it was enough to throw him off. He pulled away when he realized that it was Harry Potter he was pressed up against, but Harry grabbed him back with a small mew, and it just felt so damn good, standing there with Harry, his throat vibrating against his hair, as the other boy stroked his hair and back, meticulously stopping at the small of his back.

'Good. Because if he was feeling me up, I'd have to stop him, no matter how good this feels.'

"I've been dreaming about you all summer," Harry whispered hoarsely, and Draco froze.

"Do you even know who you're talking to, and feeling on?" he asked, immediately regretting his harsh words and tone, as Harry's contented purr cut off, and he lowered his head to rest sadly against Draco's head. He raised his arms, placing them around the other boy in apology.

"Not really, but you're my mate. I can feel it. You make me happy just by being around."

"Open your eyes, and take a good look, Potter. Then say that again." Harry pulled away, scowling at being ordered about by his mate, and looked hard at him.

"Malfoy?" He said wonderingly. "I was sure it couldn't be you. I mean, I found this book after my birthday, and I was sure you wouldn't . . .." Draco realized what Harry was trying to say, and blushed deeply, burying his face in Harry"s chest to hide the revealing color.

"Draco! Have you no decency! In public!" He could hear the humor in his mother's voice- 'Great, she'll be sure to tease me about this forever,' -but it was obvious Harry couldn't. He placed his fingers over Harry's lips to silence him, and pulled him into the nearest shop that was connected to the Floo, pulling out his small box of Floo powder as he went, one arm around Harry's waist.

"Malfoy Manor!" he called as he threw the powder into the flames, then dragged the suddenly reluctant teen through the fire, his mother following as soon as they were clear.

"I take it this is the one then, dragon?" He met his mother's raised eyebrow equitably.

"Apparently," he drawled, amused, then pulled Harry out of the room, and into his personal rooms. The large sofa in his sitting room was drenched with sunlight, and Harry immediately curled up on it, purring once more.

"Now, do tell me what book it was you found?" Draco inquired demandingly as he sat down nest to Harry. Harry looked up at him sleepily, but with steel in his eyes.

"I'll not be bossed by you, Draco. Better change your habits fast."

"Or what?" Suddenly he was looking into two very determined eyes, staring up at the boy perched upon his chest.

"Or I'll change them for you. You're mine, Draco. Don't you forget that. You're mine." And his lips descended demandingly onto Draco's. Draco fought briefly -there was a big difference between submitting in dreams, and submitting in real life!- but Harry ruthlessly overpowered him, forcing him to submit, hands pinned to either side of his head. Once he accepted the kiss, Harry moved away, kissing and nipping down his neck. "Mine." Draco gasped, overwhelmed by the intense feeling, and the vague recollection of a similar dream . . .

As in the dream, a passionate yet gentle kiss was his reward for submitting to Harry, who shifted so he was straddling over Draco, instead of crushing him into the couch. Draco moaned his appreciation of the move, then froze as Harry nimbly began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Mine," Harry growled again as he pushed the fabric aside, attacking his neck and collarbone, more licking and nipping than kissing it. Draco moaned again, and squirmed, unconsciously trying to direct Harry's attention to the parts of his body begging for attention. "So impatient!" Harry exclaimed as his hands released Draco's, and slid down his chest to toy with his nipples, rubbing and pinching them as he continued his attack on Draco's collar with his mouth. After a bit, Harry's mouth slid down to take one of Draco's hard nipples, and his hands slid down to wrestle with the button on his pants. Draco caught his hands, panicked. As annoying as it sometimes was, he quite enjoyed being a Dreamwalker, and his research had uncovered that a Walker who had sex before they were bonded usually lost their gifts. No one knew why, or what enabled the few who had retained them to keep the gifts.

"Want to mate with you," Harry growled, not stopping his actions, his voice sending a shiver through Draco.

"Not now."

"Mine."

"So you'll rape me, just because I'm yours?" he demanded. Harry froze, staring at him, horrified, before rolling off of him and disappearing through the door to the rest of the Manor. "Crap damn," Draco sighed, hurriedly fastening his clothing, and set off to find Harry.

When he found him 3 hours later -ok, one of the house-elves found him, once he finally broke down and asked them to find him- Harry was curled up on top of one of the bookcases in the library. Draco had no idea how he'd gotten there. Looking around, he found the ladder and pulled it to the shelf Harry was on. It had a weightlessness charm on it, but it was still awkward to drag it over, and Draco usually didn't bother, preferring to have an elf fetch whatever he was after. But he couldn't have Harry fetched. He had to fetch him himself.

"Harry?" The boy showed no sign of having heard him. He reached out a hand to stroke his back, and he flinched, as though expecting a blow. "Shh, Harry, it's all right."

"No it's not." The words were whispered so softly that he barely heard them, and Harry curled up tighter on himself.

"Yes, it is." Harry turned on him suddenly, eyes blazing.

"NO IT'S NOT! YOU'RE MY MATE, I'M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOU, AND I ALMOST HURT YOU MYSELF!!" He jumped down from the shelf, making Draco wince before he followed him down.

"But you didn't. I wasn't saying I didn't want to, I meant that I had said no, and you kept going. I didn't mean to say you'd hurt me."

"But you didn't want to, you don't want me. Otherwise, why would you have said no?" Harry sounded so broken, so lost, that Draco immediately moved to hold him, but was pushed away. He sighed.

"I promise you, there's a good reason that does not include me not wanting you. If you'll calm down, I'll explain it to you." Harry looked disbelieving, but nodded, sitting on one of the armchairs by the fire with an air of 'I'm waiting' written all over him.

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haha. see? the chappie is longer. not alot, but it is longer. i just can't seem to make the chapters long on this one. i sowwy.

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on teh other hand, i need more reviews on this story, so you don't get another chapter until i get 15 reviews. because fav and alerting aside, i need reassurance that you like it, and any ideas you would like to see.


	5. Chapter 5

i just wanted to say that i do apologize to anyone who thinks it's sick and twisted that i am waiting for reviews before posting more story, but i'm not going to stop. i'm not doing it to stoke my ego, or anything like that, i'm doing it because i need to know what you like and dislike in my stories so i can improve as a writer. that's what the free-viewing sites and reviews are for. thank you.

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Harry listened to his mate's explanation of Dreamwalkers with fascination, but it didn't explain why he didn't want to mate with him. He was being rejected for no reason, as far as he could see. Shakes started setting in, and he knew he wouldn't be able to control it very much longer. Draco noticed the look on his face.

"Something you don't understand?" he asked, concerned.

"Why does this keep you from mating with me? It feels like you're just using it as an excuse . . .." he died off at Draco's anger at his doubt.

"I was getting to that. Most Dreamwalkers, they lost their gift if they mated with someone without a bond."

"So you can't mate with me because you don't want to loose your gift?" Now Harry looked sad and resigned, but the fear lurking in his eyes made Draco wonder exactly what he'd resigned himself to.

"No, I can't mate with you without bonding with you."

"What did you think I was trying to do? It's how I would bond with you, is mating!" Harry curled in on himself, shakes from being rejected growing impossible to hide. He didn't think he had much longer to argue it, and he didn't want his mate to see him weak, see him dying. He stood and moved towards the fireplace where he had entered the manor.

"Where are you going?!" Draco asked sharply.

"Leaving."

"But I don't want you to go!"

"Should have thought of that before you rejected me. Did you think I'd stay after that?" He walked as quickly as he could towards the fireplace, and the ornamental vase of Floo powder, but staggered into a bookshelf halfway there. 'Damn, I shouldn't have stopped to argue,' he thought as Draco gasped and caught him, half-carrying him into his bedroom; Harry was too weak to protest.

As Harry was shivering violently now, Draco tucked him into bed, piling blankets on top of him, then called an elf, thinking to have it fetch his mother. The elf looked shocked when she saw Harry's condition, but understanding.

"What's wrong with him, elf?!" Draco demanded. She looked at him sadly.

"Hes is dying, Master Draco, sir." She answered simply.

"WHAT?! Why?"

"Broken bond, Master Draco, sir."

"WHAT broken bond?" he exclaimed impatiently.

"Tully must ask a question to helps Master Draco, sir." She quivered violently, as though expecting to be hit, but Draco had more important things on his mind at the moment.

"Fine, ask. Just hurry up."

"Did Master Draco pushes him away, makes him think yous don't wants him?" Draco nodded silently. "Do him still thinks that?" Draco nodded again. "Then you's breaks his connection to yous, Master Draco sir. Hims species is very delicate, before the bonding the connection breaks very easily, and theys is fading very fast once it's breaks. Yous rejecting him, Master Draco sir. He's dying without yous." The elf looked sad.

"Can I fix this?" Draco asked desperately, for the moment unaware of the inappropriateness of asking the elf for instructions. The elf nodded.

"Connections is easy broken, but theys is easy fixed, too. Yous just has to kiss him Master Draco sir. But its has to bes an intimate kiss, Master Draco sir." Draco nodded his understanding, and dismissed the elf. He might be willing to have the elf explain things to him, but he wasn't willing to have it there while he was kissing someone.

He slid onto the bed, where Harry had gone deathly pale, the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed the only sign that he still lived, and pressed a kiss onto his lips. Not receiving a response, he deepened the kiss slightly. _'Its has to bes an intimate kiss, Master Draco sir.'_ The elf's squeaky voice echoed in his mind.

'Well, here goes nothing.' He tilted his head slightly and forced his tongue past unresponsive lips, kissing Harry deeply, sliding his tongue over sensitive places, hoping to god this worked, because if Harry died, he'd be devastated. When Harry stirred, and started to respond, he pulled away, nearly crying with relief, and laid his head against Harry's chest. Harry's hand weakly came to rest on his hair, without even the energy to pet it as he had recently whenever he was touching Draco's hair, but his color was already better. It looked like he was recovering even faster than he'd deteriorated.

"Draco?" came the weak question after a couple of minutes.

"Shh, I'm here. Rest."

"Draco, why'd you bring me back?" Harry asked a short while later, his voice sounding almost normal again.

"Because I don't want you to die, you dolt. I didn't know you'd feel rejected when I said no, or that it'd effect you so much." Harry didn't answer. "Harry, I want you, I do. The gift isn't more important to me than you are. If I had to choose between you and it, I'd choose you. Just like that, I'd choose you." Draco hesitated for a moment, then slid back up from his position resting against Harry's chest, to kiss him again. This action caused a fire to explode within Harry, who crushed Draco to him, kissing him fiercely.

He rolled them over so he was on top of Draco, tearing his shirt open, scattering buttons everywhere. Draco let him, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to deal with the consequences of pushing him away again. Draco gasped as Harry bit a nipple before sucking on it, swirling his fingers around the other one. He harshly nipped his way up the sensitive skin on the side of Draco's neck, making Draco moan with the combination of pain and pleasure, then back down to his collarbone.

"Mine," he growled into Draco's collarbone, sucking strongly on the ridge it made, biting down when there was no response. "MINE," he repeated demandingly.

"Yours," Draco gasped, "yours." Harry smiled at him in approval, swirling his tongue over the now-red bite marks before moving to tenderly kiss the blond.

"Mine," he whispered lovingly. Draco nodded and pulled him down so he could curl up against his side, resting his head on Harry's chest.

"I'm sleepy . . .." he yawned. Harry immediately pulled him close, stroking his back and hair.

"Then go to sleep. I'll take care of you." Draco just smiled, knowing that it was an instinctive urge to protect his mate in a place he was not familiar with.

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author's note: i just wanted to point out that :

1) when they were arguing in the library, draco's retort was left unspoken, because before he could answer, harry collided with the shelf, and he was too worried to argue anymore

2) harry asked why draco brought him back because he took draco's reluctance to have sex with him as a personal rejection of him, and his feline instincts tell him that he doesn't deserve to live if his mate doesn't want him, and that his mate must know that being without said mate will kill him, therefore his mate must want him dead to deny him. twisted reasoning, and if it were consious thought, he'd see how ridiculous it is, but it's not. it's all subconsious where he doesn't even realize he's thinking it.

3) by the last bit, draco has realized how much of harry's responses are instenctual, rather than thought. and anyway, it's rather sweet that harry would immediately stop what he was doing to cuddle up with him, and promise to protect him, don't you think? anyone else would be upset at the interruption of their activities, but for harry, as long as there's a reasonable explination of why draco doesn't want to right now, everything's good. draco makes good use of this point in the future.

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and as shall now be usual, next part in 15 reviews. i think 15 is a good number for this story. -blows you all kisses- much love to my faithful reviewers. you have no idea how much it means to me to keep seeing the same names on reviews. because it tells me that you like my story enough to keep coming back and reading it.


	6. Chapter 6

yay! another chapter!! i love you guys. that took like no time at all; good thing i already had the next chapter, or i would have had to wait until i wrote it, when i promised it sooner! that likely didn't make any sense. sorry.

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_"You are being foolishly stubborn, student mine. To bond with him will not take your gifts from you. It is when you mate with one not your life mate that the gifts leave you. And that is at any time, not just before the bond. But denying your mate will only hurt you both. Without the bond, he will be very sensitive to anything that could be considered rejection, and very prone to irrational depression. Do you want to do that to him?"_

_"No, teacher. I'm just scared. What if-" _

_"I told you he was your true life mate, and you felt the connection when you touched him. You know I'm right. So face your fear, and come out better for it. Or do you want to be crippled by your fears all your life."_

_"Eh, teacher, I don't know why you bother asking me questions, the answer is always no."_

_"Then face it, and face him. You know he's dreamed about it as often as you have, since Walkers share dreams with their life mates." _

_"Teacher, if this is known, then why is there nothing about it in any book?" His teacher winked at him._

_"Well, it keeps the young Walkers from going out and playing the tomcat, now don't it? If you think you'll loose the gifts, you'll be more cautious about finding your mate, not just thinking it's the first person you see what you're attracted to." Draco nodded, and the scene started to fade out. "You must bring him to meet me at some point, student mine. Not soon though, there are other things you could be doing first . . .." Draco laughed at the older man's rather feeble joke, waking with a large smile playing across his face._

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His first conscious sensation was a gentle hand tracing feather-light patterns on his bare abdomen. Opening his eyes, he looked up into a pair of brilliant green eyes watching him adoringly. "Hey. Had a nice nap?" a soft voice inquired. He nodded sleepily, turning to bury his face against the other boy, holding him tightly. A soft chuckle vibrated in his chest, resonating similar to his contented purr, soothing all Draco's worries away. They lay there for a while, enjoying each other's nearness, then Draco's stomach rumbled loudly, causing him to blush, and Harry to laugh. "You've slept past lunch, and tea too. It's no wonder you're hungry." Grumbling under his breath, Draco stretched over Harry, and touched the call-plaque.

"Cans Tully be getting yous anything, Master Draco sir?"

"You can fetch us something to eat." The elf popped out, coming back almost immediately with two large plates of food, setting them both on the small table in the corner.

"House-elves knew yous be hungry, Master Draco sir. And you's mother say yous must eats at table unless it's breakfast, Master Draco sir," she added once she saw the look on his face. Draco sighed, knowing that it was useless trying to argue with his mother's orders. He may legally be the head of the household since Lucius' imprisonment, but the elves were loyal to Narcissa before him, as she was the lady of the house. Seeing the look on his mate's face, Harry summoned the table to the bed, and shifted things so they could recline on the bed and still eat from the table.

"There. And we're still at the table." The elf gave him a disapproving look, but said nothing.

"Harry," Draco said hesitantly a few minutes later, "Did I kidnap you from anything important? Do you need to get back and meet anyone?" Harry frowned thoughtfully.

"The Weasleys will be there tomorrow afternoon, but I can wait until evening and just say that I was wandering around and they must have missed me. I had a couple things I wanted to do, but it shouldn't take too long. So, say I head to Diagon after lunch tomorrow, meet you at the Leakey Cauldron at 7?" At Draco's confused look, he added, "So I can explain things to them. I won't have you guys fighting this year, Draco." Draco nodded reluctantly; he so enjoyed taunting Harry's friends, but he knew his mate wouldn't stand for it.

"How 'bout I meet you at 8? That gives you plenty of time to explain _before_ I get there." Harry nodded contentedly. He'd agree to just about anything Draco wanted, so long as it made sense to him.

After dinner, Harry rearranged the room again and returned everything to it's original state, then curled up against Draco, fully prepared to merely cuddle until his mate was ready for more, but Draco tugged gently on his hair until he raised his head, and kissed him again, licking against his lips, wordlessly asking him to take control again. Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"You sure?" Draco nodded.

"I'll tell you if you start to scare me again." Harry nodded, and kissed him fiercely, rolling Draco onto his back so that he could properly reach all of him. Draco slid a hand into Harry's hair, sliding his thumb around the outside of his ear, pulling his mate up against him, enjoying the feel of his warm body on his own. Pulling back slightly, Harry started licking Draco's face, washing it as a cat would, his tongue faintly rough -though not as rough as a true cat's tongue. He moved -alternately licking and sucking- down his neck to his collarbone, which he traced before moving on, spending long moments worshipping each part of his mates body -intimately, but being extremely careful not to overwhelm him.

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i know this one is a little short, but the main point is that harry would do anything draco wanted, pretty much. and the next part is the conversation with harry's friends, and i didn't want to put those two together. sorry i havn't had time to go back through and add detail, i've had alot of family issues lately. and while some of them have been resolved -though not in a manner i would have chosen- the rest are kinda here to stay for a long while, or at least i hope so. don't feel like going into why. if you need to know, you likely already do. if not -shrugs- oh well.

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next chappie in 15 more reviews, and i'll have the rest of it re-edited by then.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning passed far to quickly for both boys. Breakfast was brought to them in bed as soon as they woke up -before they even called for it. When asked how they'd known they were ready for breakfast, the elf merely grinned and pointed at Harry before popping out. Draco looked at Harry curiously, but the dark-haired boy only shrugged and started eating. Draco knew that there was a lot that Harry hadn't told him yet, but he didn't feel like calling Harry on it. There would be plenty of time for explanations later, and he just wanted to enjoy the day with his dream partner before they had to go to Diagon Alley. He'd wrestle answers out of the feline-esque boy later. Right now, he just wanted to listen to Harry's gentle purr as he sprawled in the warm sunshine, lazily rining his fingers through Draco's longish silver-gilt hair.

They spent the rest of the morning curled up together, not properly awake, but not asleep either, just happily dozing. Draco was curled up against Harry's side as the other boy lay with his back in the sunshine streaming through the large windows that faced the sunrise, holding Draco tight against him, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other lying along his side, giving Harry access to his hair.

"Master Draco sir?" An elf's tremulous voice broke the silence suddenly. Draco jumped and glared at the elf who had disturbed them, while Harry merely opened one eye to watch it sleepily. "Master Draco sir, Mistress Narcissa orders you both must have lunch in the dining room with her." The elf looked frightened; Draco was not known for being accepting when things didn't go his way, or for his even temper. Harry laid a hand on Draco's arm to calm him, his purr cutting off at Draco's upset at this declaration, even coming secondhand.

"Tell Mistress Narcissa that we would be most delighted to join her for lunch," Harry drawled sleepily. Draco turned to look at Harry in shock as the elf hurriedly left to deliver his message before Draco exploded. Harry did not have the luxury of escaping though, not that he particularly cared.

"Harry, we would not be 'most delighted' to have lunch with her! I want to stay here with you until you have to leave!" Harry pulled the upset blond up against his chest and rubbed his back soothingly to calm him. It worked very well, to Draco's private chagrin.

"From your reaction yesterday, the elves won't go against your mother's orders. Therefore, we could skip lunch with your mother, but it would mean skipping lunch entirely. We might as well be courteous about it. C'mon, let's get ready." Draco pouted, but he knew that Harry was right, so he moved to allow Harry to slide out of the bed, taking the offered hand and allowing Harry to lead him through the room to the bathroom.

Half an hour later found them both clean and dressed, and Draco leading Harry to the dining room, Harry happily clinging to Draco's hand as they traveled the maze-like halls of the manor. Harry balked at the door to the dining room. It was huge; a formal room more suited for large dinner parties than a family lunch. Though Harry supposed that Narcissa was treating him like a guest. Still, it was a huge, formal room that Harry nearly feared to set foot into, reluctant to spoil the elegant atmosphere. He never had done elegant very well, though he was no longer clumsy since his inheritance.

"Draco, darling." Narcissa rose from the table to greet them, hugging Draco warmly. Harry growled softly at being ignored, however momentarily, by his mate, and his mate's mother. Draco hurriedly stepped back into the arms that Harry had lifted to reclaim him, and he was held firmly against Harry's body, as though the other boy thought to prevent him from escaping. He gently stroked one of Harry's hands, and his death-grip loosened, though he was not released.

"Mother, may I present Harry Potter?"

"Mr. Potter, a delight." She held out one hand for him to kiss, which he did reluctantly, to Draco's not-so-secret amusement. Half of Harry's protest to the action was that he had to release Draco to take her hand. His kitten was so possessive.

"Likewise, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry replied neutrally. He did not like Narcissa Malfoy, she was too cold -hard and icily elegant- and stiff and formal with everyone except maybe her husband and her son, but he'd be nice for Draco.

Lunch was rather stiff, Harry uncertain around Draco's mom, and Draco still pouting about having to come down to eat. He was used to having his own way, especially at home. Mrs. Malfoy attempted to make small talk, but her attempts fell rather flat, as the boys were more interested in each other than in what she was saying. She nearly regretted making them come downstairs, as she felt she was drowning in sugar more than once, but it was worth it to see her son with someone who he so obviously adored, even after this short amount of time.

* * *

"Harry!" He was pounced on by two large armfuls of girl, one of whom unknowingly hit the new tattoo on his back, making him hiss with pain. They pulled back hastily, looking concerned. He grinned at them, the sting from the tender flesh rapidly fading.

"S'ok 'Mione, Ginny, I'll tell you later. Where's Ron?" Said redhead walked up, grinning.

"Thought I'd give them the chance to greet you first, they've both been worried about you this summer."

"Ah. Well, let's go upstairs and talk, eh? I've been here all week." He led them up to his room, shutting the door firmly behind them. Hermione faced him, hands on her hips.

"Alright Harry, first thing I want to know is why you winced when we hugged you. If you're hiding injuries again . . .." He grinned reassuringly at her.

"Not hiding injuries. I swear. Take a look." He peeled his shirt off, revealing the new tattoo down the center of his back. A black panther with two cubs; the panther was chasing one cub up towards Harry's hair, and the other cub was playing with it's tail. "Once it's healed, it'll move, too. It's just that you hit it when you jumped on me." Hermione looked mollified, Ron looked impressed that Harry had actually gotten a tattoo, and Ginny exclaimed over how cute it was, but refrained from touching it.

"You just got it today?"

"Yeah, but I've been in almost every day discussing various styles and things with Charlie. We finally came up with the panther because he said that I reminded him of a panther." Harry laughed. "If only he knew. The literal translation is panther, y'know. Mysterious Panther." He laughed again. "Though why it's shortened to geheimnisvolle and not panthera is beyond me. Wanted to make sure everyone remembered we're mysterious, I guess." He sobered quickly, he didn't have much longer until Draco showed up; he hadn't found them until almost 7:30. "Anyway, guys, I have something very important to tell you." They sat on the bed, leaving him room to curl up in the corner, which he did.

"OK, Harry, we're listening."

"Remember when we were researching, and it said that we have mates?" They nodded, almost in unison. "Well, I've found mine."

"Oh, Harry, that's great!" Hermione jumped up to hug him, remembering at the last moment to be careful of his new tattoo.

"You think so now, but you won't like who it is." He looked at each of them; to his surprise, Ron was smiling rather mysteriously. "It's Malfoy."

"WHAT?" Hermione and Ginny exclaimed. A quick look at Ron, however, proved he retained his smile, seemingly unaffected by this news. Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"I already knew, Harry. I've had a chance to get used to it, and I must admit that it does make sense. The two of you were always drawn together." Right. Harry often forgot that Ron was a Seer; he acted so down-to-earth and oblivious, unlike Luna, who he knew was also a Seer. He guessed that it didn't affect personality any. It was his gifts kicking in that had helped Ron to overcome his jealousy during the tri-wizard tournament fourth year, more than anything else. Though Hermione's impatience had likely come a close second.

"So why didn't you tell them? For that matter, why didn't you tell me?"

"You would not have believed me until you felt the bond for yourself, and it was not my place to tell them."

"Right." Harry still looked confused, but Ron had matured a lot over the summer, and he was just too lazy to fight with him.

"I'm sorry I freaked out, Harry. I was just shocked. Of course I accept whoever your mate is." Ginny nodded morosely behind Hermione's shoulder. He had told her he wasn't interested as soon as he realized it, but she had still hoped to be his mate when they had found he had one. Ron stood suddenly, stepping out the door, returning with Draco nervously -not that anyone but Harry could tell- following behind him.

Harry held out his arms, and Draco sat near him, trying to preserve his image, but Harry wrapped an arm around his waist and yanked him up against his body. The other three giggled at the startled look on Draco's face. Harry looked like he had just found the door to a creamery. His contented purr filled the room, causing Ginny to squeal delightedly.

"Awwww, he purrs!" she exclaimed excitedly. Draco made a face at her then curled up against Harry, obviously deciding to just ignore them. Harry pulled him close, stroking his hair softly. Hermione giggled.

"That's kind of funny. You're the cat, and you're petting him."

"Well, as a cat, I know that petting is good, and I'm uninhibited enough to not care that people think it's funny," he replied absently. Draco blinked as he picked out the important parts of the exchange. They hadn't been comparing him to a cat; they said he was a cat.

"What do you mean, he's a cat?" he asked, not moving from his position against Harry.

"Harry! You didn't tell him?"

"I hadn't gotten around to it. We've had rather a hectic time of it." Hermione looked like she was going to protest.

"Don't lecture him 'Mi, he's telling the truth. He just hasn't got around to it yet. You know how lazy he is." Ron sounded calm and matter-of-fact, and as Hermione backed down on his say-so, Draco added that to his list of questions.

"He's a Geheimnisvolle Panthera." Ginny said from the other end of the bed. Draco looked confused; he had never heard of them. "It means 'mysterious panther' because most of the attributes are of a panther, though there are things from other types of cats, like the purring, since I don't think panthers can purr. Not a whole lot is really known about them. Just that they are very catlike, get more so when strong emotion is involved, and have a mate. Which would be you."

"That much I knew." Draco murmured, thinking this over. "I just didn't know what he was." Harry looked up at him with scared green eyes.

"OK?" the question held multitudes of meanings, yet Draco found that the answer to all of them was yes. He nodded and felt Harry relax beneath him. He ran one hand over the smooth chest beneath his head –Harry never had put his shirt back on, and he was lying at an odd angle, keeping his back off the bed and wall.

"Next question: what did you do to your back?" Harry jumped.

"I forgot! You haven't seen it!" He pushed Draco off of him, sliding off the bed to display his tattoo. "Whatcha think, Drake?" Draco ran a gentle finger along the outline, millimeters away from the actual tattoo.

"It's nice." Harry pouted at him, having hoped to get a more enthusiastic reaction out of him. "I was thinking of getting one too, actually, simply because it's something my father would never have allowed. What do you think?"

"A dragon curled around your arm." Harry replied immediately.

"Silver," Hermione added.

"A flying dragon, not a Chinese dragon." Ron added.

"Ooh, I can see it!" A shimmer appeared over Draco's right arm, under the cap-sleeves of his t-shirt, curling around his bicep. A moment later, a transparent image of a silver dragon, wings proudly extended, was visible on his arm, the tail wrapping several times around as it curled towards his elbow, head nearly resting on his shoulder.

"Ooh, nice! Can you make that permanent?" She shook her head. "Can you at least show it to the guy who did Harry's so he can do it?" She nodded happily; she'd love a chance to visit Charlie. Last time he'd gotten injured, their mom had thrown a fit and insisted he choose a less dangerous profession, so he decided to follow his first dream -which his mom had disapproved of, thus leading him to work with dragons in the first place- and become a tattoo artist.

"Tomorrow. He's closed up by now. Any other questions?"

"I've got one more. What's up with yon redhead?" He gestured at Ron, who smiled serenely.

"I'm a Seer," he replied, as the others all looked at each other, unsure what Draco was talking about.

"Ah. No offence or anything, but that's kind of a surprise." The smile turned into a grin.

"I'm probably the most short-tempered Seer you'll ever meet. I drive everyone who knows crazy by refusing to act how they expect me to. Except for these guys, they knew me long before anyone knew I was a Seer. Most people expect me to act like Luna or something." He shuddered as Draco nodded slowly. It made sense to him, whether it did to anyone else or not was anyone's guess. Harry politely kicked everybody out, and returned to Draco, curling around him, falling asleep seemingly as soon as his head hit Draco's shoulder.

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well, there we are. the next chapter. i hope you like it, there's some explinations for you curious people. i realized after i posted the last one that i could have made it longer and made this one the short one, but what the hell. i'd get complaints either way, right? just a matter of when. XD

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and as usual, i require at least 15 reviews to assure me that you really are reading and understanding the story before i put out the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

hey. thanks for being so understanding with me, and to all of you who expressed sympathy. it really means alot to me.

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and now the next part of the story for you. i tried to make it a little longer, but it's still pretty short. this story seems to have chopped itself up into short chapters.

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"Hey, Harry, back already?" The cheerful voice came from the back of the shop, as a lanky redhead stepped from the small office where he stored his paperwork.

"Yeah, Drake wanted to get a tat, and Gin's got an awesome design for him."

"More redheads?" Draco commented softly, looking between the tattoo artist to Ron and Ginny, and the twins, who had randomly showed up this morning and announced they were spending the day with Harry. "Are you guys all related?"

"Yep," answered Ron. "Charlie's the second oldest. He graduated before we got to school, or you'd already know that. Our oldest brother, Bill, works for Gringotts. And you know Gin, the twins, and me. That only leaves Percy, and he was a prefect while we were there. Stupid git," he muttered, still angry that Percy had rejected them for so long.

"So, Draco, Harry says you want a tattoo?"

"Yeah. Did Ginny show you the design she came up with?"

"No, I was waiting for you to get over here, so I could," she replied with exaggerated patience. He obediently stepped near the two redheads, sliding his jacket down to reveal his bare arm. Ginny closed her eyes, and the Dragon curled itself once more around his arm.

"Ooh, that is nice, little sister. I should hire you to come up with designs for me! Can you hold it while I draw it?"

"How long's it gonna take?"

"Half an hour, maybe?" She nodded confidently.

"So long's it's not over an hour, I can."

"Great." He looked at Draco. "Last chance to back out." Draco slid his jacket all the way off in answer.

"Do you want it to be able to move? I warn you, if you do, I can't charm it painless for you. It interferes." Draco looked at Harry.

"Will yours move?" Harry nodded. "Then I want mine to move too." Charlie chuckled.

"Competitive boys. Alright then." He led Draco over to a chair at the back of the room, gesturing for the others to make themselves comfortable in the front. Several charms later, He raised his wand, tracing gently over the outline of the dragon, the lines faint, but clearly visible through Ginny's projection. "Alright Gin, you can drop it now." He grinned at Draco. "So much for the easy part. Now for the actual tattoo." Several more muttered spells, then he touched the wand back to Draco's skin, and he gasped. "Hurts, don't it?"

"Chea!"

"Can't help it, sorry." Draco clenched his jaw, determined not to make a sound.

"There you go! You did better than Harry did, actually. Though his was a lot longer than yours, since it's actually three. 'Bout 30 minutes left to go, he started mewling. It was kinda cute, but really annoying when you're trying to concentrate. Time!" The last part was loud enough for the rest of the room to hear.

"3 hours, 43 minutes," Harry replied calmly.

"Not bad. It was pretty detailed."

"Mine took 6 hours, and 19 minutes." Harry pouted.

"So you had just got it done when you showed it to us." Harry nodded.

"Well, technically, since you wanted them animated, I had to do all three individually, with the base charms starting and finishing each one so that they would be able to move independently, so you got three tattoos in that six hours. Stop pouting, Har'. It was worth it, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah."

"Anyway, Draco, the tattoo will be tender for a couple of days. One of the charms I put on was for rapid healing, but like I said, for some reason, the painlessness charm interferes with the animation charm, and vice versa. So I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with it. It should dissipate within a week." Draco nodded, and signed the form requesting payment from Gringotts, barely glancing at it.

Harry moved to stand beside him, examining his new adornment. "It's beautiful Drake," he said softly, running his fingers over the edges as Draco had done to his the day before.

"Well, where to next?"

Harry collapsed onto his bed, pulling Draco with him, totally forgetting the tattoo on his back. He leapt back up with a hiss. Sitting down carefully, he pulled Draco into his lap, turning him so his good arm was resting against his chest, with one hand on the opposite side of his waist. Draco leaned his head against his shoulder with a sigh.

Harry ran one hand across Draco's abdomen, the other staying at his waist. Draco gently caught the wandering hand when it slid up to play with his nipples.

"Not until my arm heals, OK?" Harry nodded reluctantly; he didn't want to hurt his mate, and he knew he'd forget. But he didn't like having to wait. It felt like being pushed away. Somehow sensing his sadness, Draco turned his head and pressed a kiss into his neck. "Love you, kitten," he whispered. Harry's instant purr made him chuckle. No way Harry could hide what he was feeling. He sighed; only part of him had wanted to stop Harry, the part that was terrified, and convinced that he'd loose his gifts if he didn't keep Harry away. Most of him was crying out for his mate to take him, claim him, complete him in ways he couldn't even begin to imagine, but knew he was incomplete. He knew this last reaction was from the incomplete bond between them, the bond that would not be completed until they had had sex, but that did not make it any easier to handle. He wondered if he'd hold out until his arm healed. If not, he knew he'd end up cursing himself for getting the tattoo in the first place. Harry tilted his head down and kissed Draco's ear, then lay back so his back was braced between the bed and the wall, putting no pressure on the sensitive tattoo. Draco snuggled up against him, leaning on his left arm, the right gently draped across Harry's waist, hand lying on Harry's shoulder.

-

On the train Harry and Draco shocked almost everybody, Harry by curling up with his head on Draco's lap, purring lightly; Draco by letting him. Draco had found that sleeves didn't irritate the tattoo too badly, which was good because he didn't want anyone else to know about it until it was healed. Of all the Slytherins, only Blaise ended up sitting with Draco and the Gryffindors, not that Draco was surprised. He and Blaise had been friends since early childhood, when their mothers met for tea and sent them off to 'play nicely together'. If they had known all the mischief they had gotten into together, they would never have been allowed to see each other again. Blaise sat stiffly next to Draco, watching the Gryffindors as though he expected them to turn on them at any moment. Harry looked up at him suddenly, blinking sleepily.

"Relax. We's not gonna pounce. We's playful kittens," he muttered sleepily, lowering his head again. He was obviously more than half asleep. Draco laughed. Not only did Harry act like a cat, he actually thought like a cat.

'What?!" Blaise turned to Draco for an explanation of Harry's rambling reassurance.

"Umm, he said to relax, nobody's going to attack you. That they're harmless."

"Ah-hah. And you actually understood that?"

"You can understand anything, once you know the frame of reference." Blaise nodded his understanding of that.

"And the frame of reference there?"

"Cats." Blaise looked thoughtful.

"Cats indeed."


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, guys, I know that this is hideously short, and horribly late, but I had it finished when my jumpdrive fried, and had, like, no inspiration to continue it whatsoever, so I'm feeling proud of myself that I did it at all. Yes, this is the end, I know, it leaves only more questions, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

There's probably not going to be a sequel. Originally, there was going to be, but like I said, total lack of inspiration.

Harry reached out and pulled Draco down on top of him, holding him close to his chest, his face buried in Draco's soft, golden hair. Draco chuckled softly, but didn't try to move away, knowing by now that the attempt would merely make Harry's arms tighten confiningly around him. Instead, he pressed his cheek to Harry's chest and listened to his racing heart. Harry's heart always sped around him anymore. Harry kissed his hair, and slid his sharp-tipped nails down his cheek. As their bodies were pressed closer together, he could feel Harry's arousal pressed against him. Again, not a new thing by any means.

Harry rolled them over suddenly, pinning Draco to the bed, and by the look in his eyes, Draco knew that the time he was able to stall was up. Harry's eyes were desperately needy, with a hint of hopelessness in them that said that he was starting to think that Draco would never fully accept him. He sighed softly, but smoothed his hands up Harry's cheeks as the darker boy leaned down to kiss him. A shiver went through Harry at Draco's apparent acceptance, and the tenseness slid from his muscles. Slowly, so slowly, clothing was removed, and both reflected that it was a good thing that they were home at the Manor for the break, otherwise one of their doorm-mates would probably be interrupting right about now. Harry was gentle with him, but Draco still cried out with the pain of being breached, making Harry pause and kiss him tenderly until it had mostly subsided.

Upon reflection later, Draco found that he really couldn't remember much of the bonding clearly, just the brief flashes of pain, and an incredible and overwhelming pleasure. And he smiled as Harry curled up next to him, sleepily content, kissing him gently on the lips, and then again on the stomach before he settled. It took a moment for the importance of that gesture to sink in, then Draco shot upright.

"Harry, were you trying to _get me pregnant?!"_ The mischievous, content look in Harry's eyes answered for him, and Draco sank back with a groan. "I hate you," he said halfheartedly. Harry shook his head with a smile.

"You love me," he corrected. Draco rolled his eyes.

"That too."


End file.
